Day of Fly Tying
Twenty-five years ago, the Flatland Fly Fishers started out as the Flatland Fly Tiers. So with that in mind, we are going to have a day of fly tying. Save the date, March 6, 2010, at the Sunflower Building at Sedgwick County Park. We will have the building from 8:00 a.m. to 5 p.m. and we will be serving lunch around 12:00 p.m. (Donations will be accepted to help offset the cost for the meal.) To help a ―novice tier" the club will have a ―novice tier ― session starting around 8:30 a.m. The club will be providing the vice, material and an instructor. This would be a good time for you ―novice tiers" to come out and get a hands on experience. We also encourage other tiers to bring their ―vices‖ (fly tying) with their material and join us in a day of tying flies. Looking to purchase a tying vice? This is an excel-lent opportunity to view other tying vices and maybe get a ―hands on‖ experience with a tying vice before you buy. Catching fish on a fly rod is a wonderful experience but catching a fish on a fly rod with a fly that you tied is icing on the cake. We hope see everyone there at 8:00 a.m.
Pike Outing, March 20th at Kingman State Fishing Lake
This may be a bit early, but that's the idea. During the board meeting, it was decided that we should schedule an early warm water season kicker. On Saturday, March 20th, we plan to go out to Kingman State Fishing Lake to pester the Northern Pike. Mark your calendars and string up your heavy rods. Please remember that Kingman Lake is very shallow and caution should be taken not to spook fish that may be lying in wait of your fly. Heavy splashing and loud noise can turn these fish off in a heartbeat. Bring out your float tubes, pontoons, or boats, because while wading near shore is possible, I would not recommend it, as there are pot holes and decayed lily pads that you might get tangled in. Dress warm and bring a lunch. We will be meeting at 10:00 AM on northeast boat ramp.
March 20th – mark that date on your calendars; in the interim, stiffen those upper lips, gird your loins and notify your next of kin. Esox lucius awaits. For March 20th is the day that has been set aside for the Flatland Fly Fishers to converge on Kingman State Fishing Lake; within the cold waters recently released from winters icy grip a pack of water wolves lurks.
OK – that‘s a little too melodramatic; but within the last year, I‘ve been head-butted, tail-slapped and bit-ten by Northern Pike. Not to imply that these fish are dangerous, they just tend to exhibit some distinctly anti-social behavior – best described as highly misanthropic. There really isn‘t much chance that one will incur any bodily harm, unless you happen to forget what you are dealing with and try to lip a Northern ala Largemouth Bass. Doing so will almost certainly gain you access to the nearest Emergency room for a little fancy needle-work.
To get up close and personal with something toothy, at bare minimum bring a 6 wt. rod; a 7 or 8 wt. will likely serve you better. A weight forward floating line will cover most all situations you will encounter. There are a few occasions when a sink-tip is the answer, but the WFF will do for the bulk of your fishing. An 8 wt rod will help you cast the large wind-resistant flies and the heavy, weighted flies you need to throw to catch these aggressive predators.
Flies
should be geared towards presenting a large baitfish profile to the Pike. A
Northern can consume a baitfish that is 1/3 its own body length, so a 30"
Northern is comfortable consuming a 10" fish! That‘s as large as many (most)
of the trout typically caught at the Slough. Obviously, you probably can‘t
throw a fly bigger than what a Northern is willing to choke down. What color
of fly? I‘m not sure there is a clear preference, the old bright day bright
fly – dark day dark fly is not a bad theory to hang on to. If backed into a
corner, I would say chartreuse is a good place to start. One cautionary
note: slow hook-sets often result in Pike hooked deep in the gill-rakers.
This is almost always a death sentence for the fish. Be quick on the trigger
and avoid hooking them deep.
I tend to keep leaders on the short side; around 7 ft. for top water flies and 7 to 9 ft if I‘m using a sinking fly on a floating line. Using a sink-tip line I will cut back to around 4 ft of straight mono. The one thing all my leaders have in common for Northern Pike is around 8‖ of Rio 20 lb. knotable wire bite tippet. I‘ve tried 30 lb. hard Mason mono – if the Pike are going away from you on the hook set, they will cut even the hard Mason like a fat kid through birthday cake. They have not cut the Rio wire; although they will turn it into an unusable twisted slinky if they clamp down on it.
Affix your fly to the wire using a non-slip loop knot so
the wire will not impede the movement of your fly. Tying the wire to your
leader can be accomplished using several different knots. I have used the
Albright knot and the shock-gum knot; because it is the knot I am more
comfortable with tying, I typically use the shock-gum knot.
Finally, as robust as Northern Pike appear to be, they still require, and deserve, careful handling – for their sake as well as yours. A Boga-grip or one of the knock off‘s is of great comfort when handling these toothy critters. Large hemostats or long needle-nose pliers are a must – you don‘t want to reach into the business end of one of these fish with your bare hand. Handle them gently and get them back in the water as quickly as possible. These great game fish deserve our consideration and respect.
We hope to see you at KSFL on the 20th around 10:00 AM, meeting at the north boat ramp on the east side of the lake. Bring your lunch and beverage (no alcohol is allowed at KSFL) and your watercraft if you have one. You can fish from the bank or do so wading, but the mobility of a boat, float tube or pontoon will definitely increase your odds for success. See you there Esox lucius Awaits Gary Tatro slow hook-sets often result in Pike hooked deep in the gill-rakers. This is almost always a death sentence for the fish. Be quick on the trigger and avoid hooking them deep.